FISCAL YEAR 2022

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION
Board of Governors 3

Section 1: Budget Scenario 5

FY2022 Budget 6

FY2022 Potential Budget Scenario 7

Section 2: DRA Investment Programs 10

Map of DRA Investments 11

States’ Economic Development Assistance Program 12

Local Development District Technical Assistance Support 12

Map of FY2021 Distressed Counties and Parishes 14

FY2021 State Allocation Formula and Mode 15

Community Infrastructure Fund 17

Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance 17

Section 3: Regional Programs 18

Rural Communities Advancement Program 19

Delta Leadership Institute 20

Workforce Opportunity in Rural Communities 20

Registered Apprenticeship and Job Training Pilot Program 21

Rural Communities Development Program 21

Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program 22

Innovative Readiness Training 23

Appendix 24

Regional Development Plan 25

Strategic Goals 26

Service Area 27

TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOARD OF 

GOVERNORS 
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
SECTION 1:

BUDGET 

SCENARIO
Delta Regional Authority

Budget Scenario

FY 2022

FY 2022

Potential

FY 2022 Spend Budget

FY 2021 Potential Over (Under)

Approved Spend FY 2021

Source Budget Budget Approved 

Budget

Federal Appropriations $ 30,000,000 $ 30,100,000 100,000

State Assessments 1,175,741 1,181,847 6,106

RCAP (USDA Grant) 3,000,000 3,000,000 -

EDA (PWEAA Grant) 3,000,000 3,000,000 -

Total Federal and State Appropriations $ 37,175,741 $ 37,281,847 $ 106,106

(Uses) & Investments

State Economic Development Assistance Program 

(SEDAP)

12,731,105 12,820,693 89,588

Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF) 15,000,000 15,000,000 -

Local Development Districts Technical Assistance 554,000 554,000 -

RCAP Grants 3,000,000 3,000,000 -

EDA Grants 3,000,000 3,000,000 -

Administration 2,890,636 2,907,154 16,518

Total Federal Appropriations $ 37,175,741 $ 37,281,847 $ 106,106

Administration

Object Class

Federal Salaries $ 331,272 $ 334,585 $3,313

Federal Benefits 99,382 100,375 $993

Federal Other – Leases, rent, supplies, etc. 78,500 78,500

DRA Salaries 939,600 948,996 $9,396

DRA Benefits 272,729 284,698 $11,969 

Travel - Federal Staff 30,000 30,000

Travel - Non-Federal Staff 165,000 165,000

Professional/Contractual Services 645,000 645,000

Communications and Outreach 60,000 60,000

Professional Development 15,000 15,000

Leases, supplies and materials, printing, graphics 229,153 220,000 ($9,153)

Equipment 25,000 25,000

Total Expenditures $ 2,890,636 $ 2,907,154 $16,518

FY 2022 BUDGET
Introduction

This narrative is presented as justification to the attached FY2022 Potential Budget Spend 

Plan. Participating states within the DRA service area pay 50% of DRA’s administrative 

costs, less federal employee expenses (the Office of the Federal Co-Chairman is funded 

100% by the Federal Government). This presentation details the full budget including state 

assessments and federal appropriations. The USDA and EDA grants for programs to DRA 

are estimates based on prior year appropriations. 

Source and (Uses) of Appropriations

The attached budget table indicates the source and (uses) of DRA’s federal appropriations 

and a detailed presentation of its expenditures as follows:

• FY2021 Approved Budget;

• FY2022 Potential Spend Budget Based on Full Authorized Budget; and

• Comparison of FY2022 Potential Spend Budget to FY2021 Approved Budget.

Format and Content 

DRA’s administrative budget presentation on the attached table is presented in three 

sections:

1. “Source – Federal Appropriations and State Assessments;”

2. “Uses-Investments” of the appropriations; and

3. “Administration” – administrative expenses classified at the major object class

 level.

Explanation of Use of Federal Appropriation

The Uses section describes how the federal appropriations will be expended as follows:

• The States’ Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP) allocation and 

administrative costswill beincreased/decreasedby$89,588and $16,518, 

respectively. DRA alsoallocates funds to provide technical assistance $554,000for

252 counties/parishes to Local Development Districts (LDDs), with no increase.

• The Community Infrastructure Fund would be held constant at $15,000,000.

• DRA is also hopeful that its partnerships with USDA (RCAP) and EDA (PWEAA) will 

remain constant in FY2022 with $3,000,000 per program. Projects awarded 

funding from these 2 funding streams must follow respective agency guidelines and 

be approved by the respective agencies.

FISCAL YEAR 2022 POTENTIAL BUDGET SCENARIO
Administration

Administrative funds necessary to administer the program are presented below:

Federal Salaries, Benefits, & Travel

The Office of the Federal Co-Chairman (FCC) maintained two positions consisting of the 

Federal Co-Chairman and the Alternate Federal Co-Chairman. DRA has no control over 

these expenses.

Salaries $334,585

Benefits at 30% 100,375

Other Rent/Supplies 78,500

Travel 30,000

Total Federal Salaries, Benefits & Travel $543,460

DRA Salaries—Non-Federal Staff

Non-federal salaries represent 12 positions. DRA left the administrative salary costs

constant from FY 2021 to FY 2022, with the exception of a cola increase.

Total Salaries—Non-Federal Staff $ 948,996

DRA Fringe Benefits—Non-Federal Staff

The effective fringe benefit rate is 30 percent of salaries representing mandated and 

voluntary salary-related expenditures as follows:

• FICA – (Social Security) at 6.2% of salaries up to $127,200;

• Medicare – at 1.45% of salaries (no max);

• SUTA – State Unemployment Tax 3.06% of the first $12,000 of salary per employee;

• Non-elective retirement 11.7% of total salary; and

• Elective retirement (401k) effective rate of 3.2% of employees’ voluntarycontribution

(maximum match of 5%).

Social Security $59,818

Medicare 13,990

State Unemployment 5,508

Medical/Health 66,370

Retirement 139,012

Total Fringe Benefits $284,698
Travel—Non-Federal

Travel includes mileage and/or fuel, rental vehicles, hotels, airfare, meals & incidentals, 

taxis, parking fees, etc., consisting primarily of trips to small rural towns, communities, and 

counties/parishes without access to major modes of public transportation (i.e., air/rail) 

throughout 200,000 square miles, 252 counties/parishes, and over 500 cities/towns in the

eight-state region. DRA’s service area presents logistical challenges that often necessitates 

multiple modes of travel (i.e., air and vehicle travel).

Other staff travel (Airfare, hotels, per diem, mileage) $165,000

Professional Services

Professional services include costs for specialists that provide a specific skillset not 

available with existing staff or temporary help. 

Total Professional Services $645,000

Communications & Outreach 

Communications and outreach efforts includes costs for advertising, signs, job 

announcement postings, and community outreach.

Total Communications & Outreach $60,000

Professional Development

Staff development/training includes costs for training closely aligned with the basic 

responsibilities and mission of the agency including, but not limited to, program-specific 

education, management development, and leadership training.

Total Staff Development/Training $15,000

Leases, supplies and materials, printing, graphics

Printing and publications include costs for printing research publications and others such as 

Today’s Delta and Year-in-Review. This also includes leases for DRA offices.

Total Leases, supplies and materials, printing, graphics $220,000 

Equipment

Equipment such as computers, file cabinets, furniture, and supplies.

Total Equipment $25,000

Total Administrative Budget $2,907,154
SECTON 2:

DRA 

INVESTMENT 

PROGRAMS 
DRA INVESTMENT PROJECTS (FY2002 to FY2020)

DRA Investments (FY 2002 – FY 2020)

• DRA projects 2002-2019

• Projects awarded in 2020

• Delta Workforce Program
States’ Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP) 

FY 2022 Budget: $12,820,693

Program Briefing:

The States’ Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP) is the Delta Regional 

Authority’s primary investment program. Since 2002, DRA has invested over $211 million 

of its own appropriation leveraging more than $4.5 billion in other public and private 

sector dollars. These investments have helped to create and retain more than 60,000 jobs, 

train more than 53,700 individuals, and provide more than 400,000 families with access to 

improved water and sewer services. SEDAP investments make a substantial and solid 

impact in each of the eight states represented in the Delta Region.

DRA works in concert with the Local Development Districts in the region to deliver SEDAP 

and other DRA funding programs. DRA staff recommends project eligibility and priority 

ranking to the Federal Co-Chairman, and the chairman makes final determination of those 

projects. During the funding cycle, project selections are completed at the end of the cycle.

These SEDAP investments are subject to Federal Priority Eligibility Criteria, (Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance Number 90.201), and must help to improve:

• Basic public infrastructure;

• Transportation infrastructure;

• Business development, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship; and 

• Workforce development.

In fact, at least 50 percent of SEDAP investments are required to be transportation and basic 

public infrastructure projects. Additionally, at least 75 percent of all SEDAP investments 

must be made in counties and parishes that are deemed to be distressed. 

Local Development District Technical Assistance Support 

FY2022 Budget: $554,000

Program Briefing:

DRA works closely with our local development districts to administer SEDAP funding and 

to manage SEDAP projects. LDD staff review and certify that each project is legitimate and 

meets the parameters of the DRA program. Ultimately, DRA makes the final determination

of eligibility for projects; however, LDDs will also acknowledge their role and responsibility 

as project managers for each project and ensure each project is implemented and 

regulations adhered to in a timely manner. In the event an application is deemed ineligible 

by DRA, the LDD also serves as the local economic development agency that should also be 

knowledgeable of other state and federal funding sources. Applicants are encouraged to 

work closely with the LDD in identifying the best available resources for the project.

To compensate the LDDs for the administrative work performed, project administrative 

fees will be paid from the awarded funds. The formula for determining project 

STATES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE 

PROGRAM
administration fees is five percent (5%) of the first $100,000 and one percent (1%) of all 

dollars in excess of $100,000. By example, a $200,000 award would include $6,000 in LDD 

project administration fees, thereby making $194,000 available for the award.
FY 2021 DISTRESSED COUNTIES AND PARISHES

• Distressed

• Non-Distressed

Determination of a Distressed County/Parish

Unemployment rate of one percenter higher (6.7%) than the 

national average (5.7%) of the most recent 24-month period 

or have per capita income of 80 percent or less of the national 

per capita income. 
Fiscal Year 2021 State Allocation Formula and Model 

Distressed/Non-Distressed Counties and Parishes

Non-distressed county data over the past ten years reveals a trend for each state. In total, 

DRA non-distressed areas have shown a small but steady increase since 2013 but have 

remained relatively constant over the last 4 years. The most recent evaluation for fiscal 

year 2021 indicates the number of non-distressed areas are fluctuating slightly; at 18 in FY 

2017 and FY 2018, 21 in FY 2019, and 20 in FY20 and FY21. These indicators point to the 

weakness of the economy in the Delta Region. Half of the DRA states have remained 

somewhat constant over time and the other half have experienced this decline in nondistressed areas, as indicated in the table below.

Each year, the realities highlighted by this data will influence the formula used to 1) 

allocate SEDAP dollars to the states and 2) calculate the state assessment dues. As a 

reminder, the formula used by the DRA and approved annually by the Governors of each 

state, since DRA’s inception, have included the following factors and factor percentages:

Factor Factor Percentage

Equity Factor (divided equally among eight states) 50%

Population Factor (DRA counties/parishes only) 10%

Distressed Population (DRA counties/parishes only) 20%

Distressed County Area (DRA counties/parishes only) 20%

The model included factors using 2020 Distressed Counties data (based on 2018 Per Capita 

Income from the Bureau of Economic analysis and the average from November 2017 to 

October 2019 National Unemployment Rate) to determine each State’s allocated percent of 

the total budgeted for SEDAP.

0

22

5

18

333

0

3

5

4

18

5

4

3

0

44

3

21

4

3

1

0

33

2

21

4

3

1

0

4

3

6

16

2

4

1

0

3

2

1

8

2

11

0

4

0

0

8

2

1

3

0

2

3

0

10

2

1

3

0

2

1

1

9

2

1

2

0

2

2

1

10

2

1

2

0

5

10

15

20

25

Alabama Arkansas Illinois Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi issouri Tennessee

NON-DISTRESSED EVALUATION

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Program Changes from Previous Year:

DRA is continuously looking to find ways to improve upon the programming and 

investments it makes. Building off the success of the previous year, DRA implemented a 

more robust technical assistance training for every Local Development District in the DRA 

service area. To be eligible to submit projects for SEDAP funding, the LDD must have been 

through this training that highlights how to submit successful projects for consideration. 

Additionally, DRA undertook the task of the updating its SEDAP manual that is used by 

LDDs in submitting projects. The manual is accessible online at www.dra.gov. 
Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF) 

FY2022 Budget: $15,000,000

Program Briefing:

DRA launched the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF) to invest an additional $15 million 

in flood control, basic public infrastructure, and local transportation improvements that

provide local and regional value toDelta communities. CIF provides an opportunity for DRA

to make even more investments into local infrastructure projects that directly impact

economic development prospects and immediate community needs. DRA was able to 

absorb the additional dollars of CIF without additional administration dollars needed to 

provide technical assistance, project review and implementation.

EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance (PWEAA) 

FY2022 Budget: $3,000,000

Program Briefing:

As a part of the Fiscal Years 2016 - 2021 appropriations process, Congress directed the 

Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce to make 

$3 million of its “Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance” (PWEAA) program 

available to the Delta Regional Authority.

The Senate Appropriations Committee based this appropriation policy on its findings that 

it:

• Supports EDA’s past collaborations with DRA; and

• Encourages EDA to create additional opportunities that leverage and partner with DRA to 

better assist distressed communities in the eight-state Delta Region.

The Committee specifically named the PWEAA to fund DRA-related projects, as this EDA 

fund is used to:

“Advance economic growth by assisting communities and regions experiencing chronic high 

unemployment and low per capita income to create an environment that fosters innovation, 

promotes entrepreneurship, and attracts increased private capital investment." 

DRA has numerous objective measures supporting the need for such assistance.

Upon passage and toward those ends, the leadership of both agencies collaborated to 

provide streamlined processes and structures to this new partnership that would ensure 

the fiscal and programmatic integrity of this program.

COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE FUND

PUBLIC WORKS & ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT 

ASSISTANCE
SECTION 3:

REGIONAL 

PROGRAMS
Rural Communities Advancement Program (RCAP) 

FY2022 Budget: $3,000,000

Program Briefing:

Beginning in 2003, Congress designated a set aside of funding from the U.S. Department of

Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD) – Rural Communities Advancement Program

(RCAP) for grants to the Delta Regional Authority adherent to the same policies and 

guidelines of RCAP under USDA-RD. There are several programs under USDA’s RCAP, all of 

which are eligible for DRA funding. To date, DRA has invested in two types of RCAP projects 

under the following USDA programs:

Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG)*: This program is a competitive grant

designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to 

the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas.

Programmatic activities are separated into enterprise or opportunity type grant activities.

Eligible applicants are rural public entities including, but not limited to, towns, 

communities, state agencies, authorities, nonprofit corporations, institutions of higher 

education, federally recognized tribes, rural cooperatives (if organized as a private 

nonprofit corporation). RBDG funds must be used for projects benefitting rural areas or 

towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more.

*Formerly considered two separate programs: Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) and

Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG).

Community Facility Grants: This program provides funding to develop essential 

community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility

that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of 

the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or 

business undertakings. Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and/or improve essential 

community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses. Eligible 

applicants include public bodies, community-based non-profit corporations, and federally

recognized tribes. Funds must be used in rural areas with no more than 20,000 residents. 

Since 2003, DRA has successfully applied for more than $41 million in RCAP funding, which 

has supported over 300 projects throughout the Mississippi River Delta region. Each year, 

DRA allocates the majority of RCAP funding for agency programs and region-wide projects 

determined by the Federal Co-Chairman. Examples of projects funded in the past include: 

The Delta Leadership Institute and Local Foods, Local Places.

Additionally, DRA allocates the remaining RCAP funds towards projects submitted to DRA 

by USDA-RD State Directors from each of the eight states. For example, in FY 2018, DRA has

allocated $40,000 per USDA-RD State Director to fund eligible projects in accordance with 

RCAP guidelines.

REGIONAL PROGRAMS
Delta Leadership Institute (DLI) 

FY 2022 Budget: $700,000 (RCAP)

Program Briefing:

The Delta Leadership Institute serves to build leadership skills among Delta residents and 

foster collaboration with partners in the public and private sectors to improve the 

economic and social viability of the Delta as well as the overall quality of life in the Delta 

Region. Currently, DLI is a body of fellows and alumni leaders who have participated in the 

year-long Executive Academy program. They focus daily on improving the decisions made 

by community leaders across the Delta. The creation of the Executive Academy and later 

the Delta Leadership Network was and is to create well-informed community leaders who 

understand local and regional issues.

Over the course of the Executive Academy academic year, participants attend six sessions 

and engage in training, case study discussion, and on-the-ground field studies of priority 

issue areas including workforce training and education, small business and 

entrepreneurship, transportation and basic public infrastructure, healthcare, and policy 

and governance. Upon graduation, these fellows become members of the Delta Leadership 

Network where they engage community leaders both within their state and across the 

Delta. DLI has graduated 16 classes and with approximately 510 alumni, the DLN commits 

time, talent, service, and often, financial resources to various initiatives across the region, 

having become a powerful voice for the region as well as DRA.

Workforce Opportunity in Rural Communities (WORC) Training Program

FY2022 Budget: ($425,000) to be used for technical assistance.

Program Briefing:

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, administered by the Department of 

Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), is designed to grow a ready 

workforce and advance economic opportunities, particularly for local areas impacted by 

economic change and for individuals with barriers to employment. The FY 2020 DOL 

Appropriations Act, further described in the Senate Report, made $30,000,000 available to 

provide enhanced dislocated worker training to promote economic recovery in the 

Appalachian and Delta regions, particularly for projects for dislocated workers hard hit by 

industrial downsizing and closures. The FY 2021 DOL Appropriations Act also includes 

$35,000,000 in funds for the same effort. To address the specific challenges facing these 

regions, ETA, with the support and expertise of DRA, will use the authority to fund 

Dislocated Worker Demonstration projects to award WORC grants to successful applicants 

within the 252 counties and parishes that make up the DRA footprint.

DRA’s efforts will complement the U.S. Department of Labor’s WORC initiative in the 252 

counties and parishes of the eight-state Delta Region. DRA seeks to work closely with the 

Board of Governors and their Designees and Alternates to support each state’s high-growth 

industries by identifying workforce development needs, sector partnerships, and high 

priority projects. DRA will collaborate with ETA by informing eligible entities of the 

funding opportunity; implement pre-application technical assistance through a series of 
regional workshops; design and deliver post-award technical assistance; and engage 

subject matter experts to support applicants and grantees.

Delta Workforce Program (DWP)

FY2022 Budget: $1,500,000 (RCAP $1.5M)

Program Briefing:

DRA has developed a Registered Apprenticeship and Job Training Pilot Program which is 

called the Delta Workforce Program (DWP)to be used to compliment the Workforce 

Opportunities in Rural Communities training program. The DWP is a workforce training 

program designed for smaller more targeted training programs for specific needs of local 

or regional business and industry. The DWP will help develop certified apprenticeship 

programs for new entrants to the labor market as well as others needing enhanced skills.

Ultimately, DRA’s Delta Workforce Program will complement the U.S. Department of 

Labor’s workforce development efforts in the 252 counties and parishes of the eight-state 

Delta Region. DRA seeks to work closely with the Board of Governors and their Designees 

and Alternates to support each state’s high-growth industries by identifying workforce 

development needs, sector partnerships, and high priority projects. DRA will develop and 

implement the Registered Apprenticeship and Job Training Programs in four phases as 

follows: Phase I – Request for Team Applications, Phase II – Regional Workshops, Phase III 

– Grant Program, and Phase IV – Technical Assistance.

Rural Community Development Program

FY2022 Budget: $750,000 (RCAP)

Program Briefing:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than half a million new small businesses 

are launched each year in the United States, representing nearly 1.4 million new jobs 

annually. In fact, nearly 30 million small businesses across the country employ more than 

57 million workers and drive nearly half of our national GDP. Despite the significance of 

small businesses and entrepreneurship to our nation’s economy, the COVID-19 pandemic 

has strained our small businesses and entrepreneurs. Many distressed communities, 

particularly in the Mississippi River Delta region, have been economically devastated by 

increased business closures, lack of access to capital, and the unknown of what the post 

pandemic environment will mean to local businesses. 

 

The Mississippi River Delta region’s most significant opportunities for economic growth 

and revitalization are based in the creation of jobs, expansion of businesses, and 

development of local entrepreneurial economies. To address these economic challenges 

and build on the region’s opportunities for growth, DRA proposes to implement a $750,000 

Rural Community Development (RCD) Program to support underserved areas by investing 

in small business and entrepreneurial development, access to broadband and the digital 

economy, and advanced workforce training to help rural communities thrive in today’s 

global economy. DRA will develop and implement the RCD Program in three phases as 
follows: Phase I – Regional Workshops, Phase II – Grant Program, and Phase III – Technical 

Assistance. 

Delta Regional Community Health Systems Development Technical Assistance 

Program

FY 2021 Budget: $12,000,000 (HRSA) FY2022 Budget: TBD

Program Briefing:

In FY 2017, the Delta Regional Authority, in collaboration with the Health Resources & 

Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

(HHS), launched the Delta Region CommunityHealth SystemsDevelopment – Technical

Assistance Program. The purpose ofthis program is to enhance health care delivery in the

Delta Region through intensive technical assistance to providers in select rural 

communities, including critical access hospitals, small rural hospitals, rural health clinics 

and other healthcare organizations.

In-depth and long-term technical assistance to a select number of identified communities in 

the Delta Region will be provided for, but not limited to, the following:

• Improving hospital or clinic financial operations;

• Implementing quality improvement activities to promote the development of an 

evidence- based culture leading to improved health outcomes;

• Increasing use of telehealth to address gaps in clinical service delivery and improve

access to care;

• Enhancing coordination of care;

• Strengthening the local health care system to improve population health;

• Providing social services to address broader socio-economic challenges faced by 

patients (e.g., housing, childcare, energy assistance, access to healthy food, elderly 

support services, job training, etc.);

• Ensuring access to and availability of emergency medical services (EMS);

• Identifying workforce recruitment and retention resources targeted to rural 

communities; and

• Other areas to be determined in consultation with HRSA and DRA.

Since December 2017, HRSA and DRA have selected 31 hospitals to participate in the 

technical assistance program. HRSA and DRA foresee an additional 3 to 5 hospitals 

assuming the FY2022 appropriation level holds steady.
Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) 

FY2022 Budget: $10,000 

Program Briefing:

Throughout eleven years of partnership, the Delta Regional Authority, and the Department 

of Defense (DoD) have collaborated to bring the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) 

program to the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions. IRT medical 

missions deliver quality medical care, provided by licensed medical professionals serving 

in our reserve forces, to residents of rural communities that otherwise have little to no 

access to quality health care. All of these services are provided at no cost to the community 

and patients. IRT clinics operate for a temporary time frame (i.e., typically 10-14 days) 

during which patients can receive general medical, dental, and optical care for themselves 

and their family members, all of which are high-demand health care needs in the Delta. No 

proof of identification, income, residency or insurance is required.

Each mission provides medical services including, but not limited to, general medical, 

dental and optical care. Services are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis with each 

location providing services that benefit those in the communities that are underserved and 

in need of medical attention. The expectation is that each mission will provide care to 

between 4,000 and 5,000 patients in the region. So far, in ten years of partnership, DRA and 

DoD are proud to have delivered free medical care to more than 85,000 patients in Delta 

communities. DRA anticipates spending approximately $10,000 in supporting these 

missions through technical assistance to communities, marketing of upcoming missions, 

and critical mission specific supplies.
APPENDIX
The Delta Regional Authority (DRA), an independent federal agency that works to promote 

economic and community development in the Delta Region, adopted its third Regional 

Development Plan (RDP III) in April of 2016 as an assessment of, and a response to, the 

region’s myriad opportunities, assets, and challenges. In collaboration with stakeholders 

and community leaders across the region, through a series of facilitated listening sessions 

and virtual webinars, this plan serves to update the agency’s Regional Development Plan II 

(RDP II), originally adopted in 2008. The RDP III sets forth revised goals that will drive the

DRA’s work over the next five years, building on the successes of many of the DRA’s 

existing programs and setting new goals for the future.

VISION 

The Delta Region is a place where people and businesses have access to economic

opportunities in vibrant, sustainable, and resilient communities.

MISSION 

The Delta Regional Authority will advance its communities through the practical 

application of innovative ideas and strategies thatfoster inclusive communities, strengthen

regional collaboration and capacity, achieve sustained, long-term economic development, 

and produce meaningful opportunities for all Delta people.

MANAGEMENT GOAL

Maintain organizational excellence and efficiency, invest in professional development, 

encourage innovation, and continue to be an effective steward of public funds.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES 

1. Collaboration

The DRA will continue to serve as a facilitator of regional collaboration, leveraging 

diverse resources, aligning public and private interests, and strengthening local and 

regional partnerships.

2. Innovation 

The DRA will encourage the utilization of innovative economic development 

strategies and place-based programs to address the region’s challenges, build 

resilient communities, and turn opportunities into action.

3. Leadership

The DRA will support the development and preparedness of local leaders to 

implement existing models of success and to engage broadly across regional, 

national, and global networks.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN III
GOAL 1. IMPROVED WORKFORCE COMPETITIVENESS 

Advance the productivity and economic competitiveness of the Delta workforce.

Access to a skilled workforce is a crucial factor affecting the ability of businesses to succeed 

in today’s economy, thus employers are notably drawn to locations with concentrations of 

skilled workers. As national demographic trends project a decline in the working-age 

population over the coming decades, employers will increasingly have difficulties finding

skilled workers. Thus, one of the most urgent priorities for communities across the country 

is to develop a pipeline of talented workers to support the growth of existing and future 

employers. This is especially true for communities in the Delta Region as they compete for

businesses, jobs, and economic opportunities.

GOAL 2. STRENGTHENED INFRASTRUCTURE

Strengthen the Delta’s physical, digital, and capital connections to the global economy.

High-functioning transportation networks and basic infrastructure (e.g., water, 

wastewater, electricity, and natural gas, and affordable broadband internet) are essential 

for the long-term success of resilient regional economies. While it will be important to 

maintain the Delta Region’s existing infrastructure, there are also opportunities to make 

strategic investments in transportation and broadband infrastructure that will boost the 

region’s economic potential. It is also necessary for communities to have the appropriate 

real estate options and financing available to attract new businesses and take advantage of 

the economic development opportunities available to them.

GOAL 3. INCREASED COMMUNITY CAPACITY

Facilitate local capacity building within Delta communities, organizations, and businesses.

Strong local leadership in Delta communities is a prerequisite for the capacity building that 

will yield long-term economic prosperity for the region’s businesses and residents. 

Competitive and resilient communities are able to attract new jobs and investment and 

keep those jobs thanks in large part to their high level of engagement from community and 

business leaders. The development of a robust entrepreneurial environment is also 

important to the long-term success of the region. Entrepreneurs, innovative companies, 

creative workers, and technology are key elements of the regional economy. Finally, the 

quality of place in Delta communities has a major influence on their potential for economic 

development, providing an attractive environment that appeals to young professionals.

STRATEGIC GOALS
DRA SERVICE AREA
Regional Headquarters

236 Sharkey Ave, Suite 400 | Clarksdale, MS 38614 

662.624.8600 | www.dra.gov 

Washington, DC Office

444 North Capitol St NW, Suite 365 | Washington, DC 20001 

202.434.4870